Entertainment · Film · 1 hr ago
Emily Watson to Lead British Drama ‘John Daniel’
Emily Watson will star in British drama John Daniel, directed by Dominic Cooke.
She will play Alyce Cunningham, an independent Englishwoman living in the Cotswolds village of Uley after the First World War.
The film is based on a true story of an unlikely friendship between a woman and a baby gorilla.
In the story, Alyce’s nephew brings the gorilla home from London, and the animal gradually becomes part of village life.
The gorilla brings joy to a grieving community, but fear and suspicion threaten to force him out.
The film is in pre-production, with filming scheduled to begin in the U.K. in mid-2027.
Its effects will combine motion capture and visual effects to create a realistic performance.
Emily Watson will lead Dominic Cooke’s upcoming British drama John Daniel.
Watson will play Alyce Cunningham in the film, which is based on a true story of a friendship between an Englishwoman and a baby gorilla after the First World War.
The film is in pre-production, with principal photography scheduled to begin in the U.K. in mid-2027.
Alexi Kaye Campbell is writing the screenplay, inspired by home movie footage and photographs recorded in Uley, Gloucestershire, from 1918 to 1922.
The production plans to use motion capture and visual effects to create a photorealistic gorilla performance.
- Who
- Emily Watson will lead the film as Alyce Cunningham. Dominic Cooke is directing.
- What
- John Daniel is a British drama based on the true story of an Englishwoman’s friendship with a baby gorilla.
- When
- Principal photography is scheduled to begin in mid-2027.
- Where
- The film is scheduled to shoot in the U.K. Its story is set in Uley, Gloucestershire.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The story is set in the aftermath of the First World War, in a village still affected by its losses.
Local residents recorded home movie footage and photographs in Uley, Gloucestershire, which inspired the screenplay.
The film is in pre-production.
Principal photography is scheduled to begin in the U.K.
- Lead actor
- Emily Watson
- Character
- Alyce Cunningham
- Director
- Dominic Cooke
- Screenwriter
- Alexi Kaye Campbell
- Production status
- Pre-production
- Planned filming
- U.K., mid-2027
What people are saying
In 1918, the Cotswolds village of Uley is still raw from the losses of WWI, and Alyce Cunningham has built a solitary life behind a wall of wit and stoicism.